Riot in Times Square

Chris Daze Ellis was born in 1962 in New York City. He began his prolific career painting New York subway cars in 1976 while attending The High School of Art and Design. He remains one of the few artists of his generation to make the successful transition from the subways to the studio.

Daze stays close to his city roots, drawing inspiration from the urban environment. In this canvas, the famous image of Times Square is contrasted with black-and-white images of riots, underlining the multifaceted nature of the city. Daze says: “The artwork represents how people in the city felt about the political state in 2017 America. It is a protest, because politics affects everybody in America, including the people of New York.”